The snow fell thicker and thicker, while the fire in the hearth drove away the chill of the snowy night.

Jiang Yanyi watched Feng Shuo, who was sitting at the table eating noodles, her gaze unconsciously drifting down to his legs.

The wall was about a yard and a half high; he didn’t lose a limb or break anything, yet he was still lively and sitting here eating—what luck he had.

When she was unguarded, her thoughts were all written on her face, and it would be hard for Feng Shuo to pretend he didn’t notice.

With a serious face, he asked, “What are you thinking about all day?”

Jiang Yanyi replied casually, “Thinking of you.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the room fell into silence, with only the crackling of the firewood in the hearth breaking the stillness.

Realizing her response was too ambiguous, she coughed a couple of times and said, “What I meant was, I was thinking about your injuries.”

To avoid the awkwardness, she used the fire tongs to turn over the potatoes buried in the hot ashes, pinching them with her hands as she mumbled, “Why aren’t they cooked yet?”

Feng Shuo thought she was hungry for the roasted potatoes and handed her the bowl of noodles. “Why don’t you eat some?”

Jiang Yanyi’s first reaction was to not think anything wrong about his gesture, and she replied seriously, “These are longevity noodles, specially made for the birthday person.”

Feng Shuo’s expression was unusually serious. “You eat half of the noodles, and you’ll also share half of the longevity. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Jiang Yanyi paused, her heart racing unexpectedly.

This guy really had no idea how to flirt!

As she buried the potatoes back in the hot ashes, she said, “What nonsense are you talking about? I already had dinner; I’m not hungry yet. Longevity noodles are just for good luck. If you can’t eat anymore, just leave it.”

How could he not be able to eat? Feng Shuo had finished the entire bowl of soup.

The broth made from the scallops was not only fresh but also had a hint of sweetness.

The bamboo fungus and pork ribs were stewed to perfection, soft and tender, with a rich and delicate flavor.

He could easily have another bowl.

Unaware of what he was really thinking, Jiang Yanyi handed him the embroidered knee pads she had made: “I didn’t have time to prepare any proper gifts, so I made these knee pads.”

There was still a quarter of an hour before midnight; though it was plain, it could be considered a way to celebrate his birthday.

Feng Shuo accepted them, lightly rubbing his fingers over the embroidered patterns, and softly said, “Thank you.”

The embroidery wasn’t particularly exquisite, but the stitches were dense, clearly showing that each stitch had been made with care.

Perhaps it was because the fire in the hearth was burning too brightly, or maybe the warmth from the soup he had just eaten warmed his stomach; Feng Shuo felt a warmth spreading through his chest.

This seemingly dismal life didn’t seem as bad as he had once thought.

Outside, the heavy snow fell like salt and cotton, while inside, the fire burned brightly.

As Feng Shuo looked at Jiang Yanyi’s delicate profile, something slightly tipsy stirred in his usually cold phoenix eyes.

When Jiang Yanyi looked up, her gaze met his directly.

She wanted to look away, but her gaze felt as if it were caught by something, unable to move even an inch.

When Feng Shuo’s lips came down, she instinctively closed her eyes.

His lips were much softer than she had imagined, and perhaps it was because he had drunk some wine, there was a faint scent of alcohol between his lips.

The contact was brief, like a dragonfly touching the water, gentle as if a feather had lightly brushed against her lips.

Jiang Yanyi thought it was over, but to her surprise, his lips pressed down again…

This kiss was a bit rough, raw and wild, and it was at this moment that Jiang Yanyi truly realized how dominant he could be in this aspect.

As a result, she had no power to resist.

When Qiu Kui opened the door with a creak, Jiang Yanyi didn’t even react in time before Feng Shuo had already sent a gust of palm wind, shutting the kitchen door.

Qiu Kui had gotten up in the middle of the night.

Seeing the kitchen light still on and the door closed, she couldn’t help but call out in confusion, “Huahua, are you still not asleep?”

Jiang Yanyi quickly pulled Feng Shuo to hide outside the back door of the kitchen, then opened the kitchen door and said, “The soup isn’t done yet. I thought it was cold with the door open, so I closed it.”

Qiukui shrank her neck, rubbing her arms as she shivered: “Huahua, hurry up and finish. It’s already past the midnight hour. Hey… Huahua, why are your lips swollen?”

Jiang Yanyi touched her slightly painful lips and replied, “Really? I must have accidentally burned them while tasting the soup just now.”

“Ah? Is it serious? Do you need to find some medicine to apply?” Qiu Kui looked worried.

Jiang Yanyi felt a twinge of guilt but had to continue lying through her teeth: “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore. You shouldn’t stand outside, or you’ll catch a cold!”

It was only then that Qiu Kui remembered she needed to go to the toilet and hurried off with a pained expression, holding her stomach.

Once Qiu Kui entered the toilet, Jiang Yanyi let Feng Shuo out of the kitchen to climb back over the wall.

After that impulsive kiss, both of them felt a bit uncomfortable, not even daring to look at each other.

Jiang Yanyi had originally wanted to help Feng Shuo find a ladder, but unexpectedly, he easily leaped over the wall.

Jiang Yanyi was afraid he might fall again and hurriedly whispered a warning, “Be careful, the wall might be slippery.”

Feng Shuo: “…”

He really didn’t want to know what she was worrying about.

Watching Feng Shuo’s silhouette disappear over the wall, Jiang Yanyi returned to the kitchen to tidy up.

As she stepped through the door, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

Was this truly the first time he had climbed over her courtyard wall?

---

The next day, Jiang Yanyi slept in until the sunlight poured in.

As she opened the door, she saw the courtyard blanketed in white.

A thick layer of snow covered the courtyard walls, and icicles hung from the eaves, crystal clear and beautiful.

Jiang Yanyi hung the birdcage under the kitchen eaves, rubbing her hands together to warm them, and sighed, “It’s so cold today.”

The parrot in the cage flapped its wings, mimicking her voice: “So cold, so cold!”

Qiukui had already built a fire in the hearth and buried a few sweet potatoes in the hot ashes to roast, urging Jiang Yanyi to come in and warm herself.

Jiang Yanyi added water to the parrot’s feeding trough and sprinkled in some grains, but instead of going inside to warm up, she made a fluffy snowball from the ground.

“Qiu Kui!” Jiang Yanyi called out.

Qiu Kui looked over in a daze just as the snowball landed on her shoulder, covering her in bits of snow.

Qiu Kui was stunned for a moment before bursting into a silly smile.

No longer bothering to warm herself by the fire, she ran into the courtyard and made a snowball to throw back at Jiang Yanyi.

The snow was freezing to the touch, but as Jiang Yanyi and Qiu Kui chased each other around, they worked up a sweat and didn’t feel the cold at all.

The snow in their courtyard was so thick that it almost reached their calves.

After playing until they were tired, they finally went inside to warm up by the hearth, digging out the roasted sweet potatoes from the ashes, each holding one for breakfast.

When they peeled the sweet potatoes, the golden-orange flesh revealed itself, steaming hot, sweet and delicious, without being cloying.

Jiang Yanyi said, “Let’s shovel the snow out of the courtyard later and build a snowman at the entrance!”

Upon hearing “snowman,” Qiu Kui nodded vigorously.